China,a milestone which can't get rid of
By Jack R.Huang
Myanmar!Myanmar!!Myanmar!!!
Myanmar is becoming a new hot issue around the world.Media has been paying higher and closer attention to it day after day since the democratic parade broke out and especially since President Bush and Minister Brown respectively gave speech supporting the democratic movement in Myanmar.In their speech,China is a highlight point.Then all the democratic fighters around the world put their fire towards China.
China is walking on the edge of a cliff.
If China doesn't take any action,it will be criticized as less-responsible.But if she does everything that western countries desire, China will move more forward towards the position of regional policeman for America.Apparently China would not opt either one.But the tons of thousands of media reports have given us an impression that China should bear the hugest part of responsibility if we can not resolve Myanmar issue properly.
Strategically comparing with Iran and Iraq Myanmar are not so important in the version of America and other western countries.The purpose is to hold back China.
First of all let's check out what China has done to improve the situation in Myanmar.In early July this year,China succeeded host the negotiation between higher officers from US and Myanmar.In late last month,China helped the special envoy of UN to get Visa to enter Myanmar.That is almost the only way we have now to get in touch with Aung San Suu Kyi.Then at last it is widely believed that it is the pressure from Chinese government that caused Myanmar military government keep restraint for more than one month.
Now,different interest groups are asking China again and again to express their attitude to this event and to do more.I never doubt that there are some organizations do concern the human rights situation in Myanmar but I do doubt that how many of them do so for they care but not for their fame or even just to play some cheap lip service.
In the map we can notice that because of Everest Mountain,Myanmar is the only overland tunnel between Southern and Eastern Asia.What's more,for China which is building a petrol pipeline though Myanmar,it means a possibility of getting rid of Malacca Strait which is among the surround of American garrison.Because of this interest relation,Beijing keeps a close relation between Naypyidaw since 1950s.Everybody presume that China has absolute impression upon Myanmar,though it is not true.And the truth is the more they pushed China publicly the worse the result can turn out. The military government can become very sensitive and suspicious to every movement and announcement made by Beijing and judge if it is for their own interests or not by their own standard. The direct result is that there will be very little room for China to mediate and coordinate all different interest groups.As China is one of the only few countries that have normal relation with Myanmar.It will only cause the things more and more complicated and hard to deal with.
The primer for this protest demonstration is that the military government of Myanmar raised the price of most of the petrol product without informing the public.As the development of the movement,the public asked for more from the military government,including democracy.From my perspective it is a very normal "revolution".This year nearly all the eastern Asia countries have suffered a lot from the growing oil price.Indonesia government even doubled its Berget for petrol subsidy.
After the military government publishing the new petrol price,a lot of Burmese have to walk to work for they can bear the new price for bus ticket.Some of them have even to pledge to survive.Myanmar is a country founded on Buddhism.All the male citizen has to renunciate at least once in their life or he would be looked down upon by the society.Buddhism may be the religion in the world emphasis peace most.No matter how poor a family is,the Burmese family would prepare the best and the most they can to support the monks from temple.Poor as Myanmar is now,temple bears a lot of duty of public education.Actually the largest free school in Myanmar is founded by a famous monk in which youngsters study and being cultivated according to Buddhist doctrine.All in all Buddhism and monk are respected by the whole society.
I noticed that the declaration of American and European authorities sounds as if they are speaking with and for justice or even as if they are justice.Are they really so clear?Who is it that made Myanmar under economic sanctions?It is America and European countries!It is them that help to make the richest country in eastern Asia in 1950 to one of the poorest in the world in 2007.The poor economy directly causes a poor education system.A poorly cultivated public can never be a base for civil society.Without a base for civil society,I can't see the possibility of a democratic country.
Beijing is a milestone, which we can't get rid of if we want to resolve Myanmar problem.
As the interest relation I mentioned above,the attempt to resolve Myanmar problem without Beijing can only give Beijing the motive to worsen the situation in Myanmar.We need to make it aware to Beijing that supporting an military will cause endless problems in the long-term and the short-term benefit can't make it up comparing the long-run cost.We can find evidence from the cold war history.However we should figure out a way so that we can found a democratic government while we can keep some of China's interest in Myanmar. Secondly we need to realize that beside the corruption part,Myanmar military government fight with all different gangster parties.Ironically to some extent the military government is the key element of peace.Thereby we can know that in a considerable time we need to maintain military power in Myanmar.Based on these two points,I'm bold to raise my thoughts.That is to let China and other ASEAN countries form a peace keeping power.Intead of the military government we use this army to keep the peace of Myanmar.Under the guard of this army we begin the building of a new democratic government.Then after the democratic government can run smoothly they can build up their own military power.
